Loose Women’s Andrea McLean was on the reserve list for Strictly Come Dancing, but says she was ‘relieved’ when she wasn’t needed after hours of ‘scary’ practicing

Former Loose Women host, Andrea McLean, has admitted she was “relieved” when Strictly Come Dancing bosses told her she wouldn’t be on the show.

The seasoned presenter, 54, was on the reserves list for the BBC staple, which has just announced chaperones will be present in the training rooms for all future series after Graziano Di Prima is alleged to have mistreated last year’s contestant Zara McDermott.

Despite not making it onto the show, Andrea says she still had to practice, which she says she found “so scary”. Speaking about the experience in a interview before Graziano was axed from the show following the misconduct claims, she said: “I think I was the only celebrity who was relieved when they were told they weren’t needed.”

Loose Women’s Andrea McLean was on the reserve list for Strictly Come Dancing ( 
Image:
Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Im)

Graziano Di Prima has been sacked from the show following allegations about his behaviour ( 
Image:
Mike Marsland/WireImage)
She continued in Woman’s Own: “Even just practicing was so scary, so when I came home, I thought to myself: ‘Thank God, now I can just watch it.'”

The beloved BBC show has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. Just weeks after it was revealed Giovanni Pernice 33, had been axed from the new series of Strictly after the broadcaster launched an investigation into his ‘bullying’ behaviour in the training room with Amanda Abbington – which the Sicilian denies – Graziano, has also been dropped after claims he behaved inappropriately towards Love Island star, Zara.

Following the bombshell news, Graziano took to his Instagram page to share a statement and said he “deeply regrets the events that led to my departure”. He also added: “When the time is right, I will share my story.” Giovanni, meanwhile, has always strenuously denied the allegations against him.

Zara broke her silence on Tuesday, saying she has been “wrestling with the fear of opening up” in a poignant post on Instagram. Stating the Strictly call was a “dream come true” having wanted to be on the show since she was a “little girl”, she shared: “Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents, which are incredibly distressing to watch.

Following her statement, the BBC made one of its own, confirming it would be making changes ahead of the new series, predominantly to rehearsals. They wrote: “The BBC is today announcing additional steps to strengthen welfare and support on Strictly Come Dancing. Concerns that have arisen in recent months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals.

“The actions we announce today are designed to address that. We have taken the decision to introduce the following additional practical steps. Going forward, we will have a production team member present during training room rehearsals at all times; increase existing support with the addition of two new roles on the show dedicated to welfare support – a Celebrity Welfare Producer and a Professional Dancer Welfare Producer; and deliver further training for the production team and crew.”

Kate Phillips, BBC’s Director of Unscripted, added: “Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for the vast majority of those who have taken part, if issues are raised with us, or we’re made aware of inappropriate behaviour, we will always take that seriously and act. Concerns that have arisen have been fundamentally related to training and rehearsals. The decisive steps we have taken and are announced today, act to further strengthen the welfare and support in place for everyone involved.”